Applying to Grad School - Domestic Students

Welcome everybody. We are going to start here in just about one minute. Thanks for joining us and we're going to cover everything when it comes to applying to Graduate School at Illinois Springfield.

Hi, everybody. Thanks for coming out today to our grand week applying for Graduate School domestic students, meaning you're from the United States session today.

We will be recording this session so that you are all aware. My name is Aaron Better and I'm part of the admission team here at the University of Illinois Springfield. Before we get into the presentation, I want to go through a couple housekeeping items really quickly.

So that you're all aware, this webinar is being recorded and will be made available for viewing. So don't feel like you have to take frantic notes. Within your share screen, you will see that there's a closed captioning option. It's in the bar in the top right corner. The little CC button right next to that is an option to make the video full screen if you like that as well. If you need to re sync your audio or video at any point, just refresh your browser and that should clear things up. We'd love to hear your questions in the chat. Feel free to post those throughout and at the end of the presentation, I'll go through that chat and answer those questions for you. But we're going to cover a lot of information today with everything when it comes to applying to Illinois Springfield for Graduate School.

And so with that, I want to get everything started now. First the what you're seeing on the side here is a link on our website, uis.edu. When you go to uis.edu, you're gonna see up in the top where it says Admission and aid. I clicked on that, kind of held my mouse over that, and then went to graduate applicants. That's where you can go to see a lot of this information here in the future.

As a graduate student, and this goes for all applicants to the University of Illinois, Springfield, the number one thing I want to point out is you can apply up to a year in advance of when you want to start Graduate School.

So for instance, if you are looking to start at Illinois Springfield in January of 2025, which would be the spring semester of 2025, you could apply now.

We're in January at the end of 24 and so you would have that time a year in advance to apply.

With that application.

When you apply, the easiest way to do that is on our website. You're going to see on the page that I'm showing you right now and on every website at at UIS you're going to see where it's got an apply button in green just under the main picture on the top. You can always click on that and go directly to the application and start that. If you have never applied to UIS before, you would be a first time user and you would start with.

Creating your profile.

If you've applied to UIS in the past, you can access your information from the past as a returning user and that will allow some of your previous information on previous applications to come through.

If you don't remember, not a big deal. Always start a new application and we can match that with your previous records.

Now, students always ask important questions like what is required. So with the application to Graduate School, we're going to require two major things. There's an application fee for domestic students of $60.00.

And we are going to need transcripts from every single college you have ever attended.

So for instance.

Let's say that you attended 3 schools. One of them granted you your degree, and all your credits are shown on that one transcript. That's great, but we're still going to need transcripts from all three schools sent separately to the University of Illinois at Springfield for us to evaluate and make your admission decision.

However many schools, that is, even if they were classes you took in high school as dual credit classes, we are going to need those transcripts.

When you apply and finish your application, they on your application status page which is going to be sent to you. About 24 to 48 hours after you complete your application, you're going to have the ability to access your application status page. Your Application status page will have all the same up-to-date information that I'm going to be able to see as a counselor at Illinois Springfield.

On that will include a few different things that I want to go over with you.

1st in your checklist it will say Application fee. You may click that button right there to apply.

To pay the application fee for your application.

That is the easiest way to do it and the most preferred, and really the only way Illinois Springfield does that at this point.

You will also be able to see when we receive transcripts.

From your previous schools.

For those of you who might have been at previous webinars during this week where we talked about GPSI and the GAS, which are graduate public service, intern and graduate assistantship opportunities, the application for that will also be on your checklist. You'll click that link and be able to fill out that application to get some funding for Graduate School while you have a job either on or off campus, depending on which program you go into.

Now for a few graduate programs on campus, additional information will be required.

Most of our graduate programs just use the transcripts app fee and the application to make their decision, but there are a few that might have some additional responsibilities, whether they're letters of recommendation, resume, or a writing sample. You may submit those on your application status page as well. Or for letters of recommendation, put your recommenders information in and we will e-mail your recommenders directly.

So that those letters can come right to UIS when they're ready to submit those.

Once everything is in, we evaluate your documents in our office, in the admissions office, and with Graduate School. The program themselves makes your admission decision.

Typically, graduate decisions are made pretty quickly.

Two to three weeks once we have your completed information. If the program is requesting additional information, they will reach out to you by e-mail.

To alert you to maybe requesting some additional information from you as a student.

A couple other things that students ask about during this process. Is there a minimum GPA? Typically for full consideration to graduate admissions at UISA, student wants to have a cumulative GPA of a 2.5 in their undergraduate coursework, So that would be of all previous colleges coming into Uis while you were earning your bachelor's degree.

There are conditional admissions. There are things that the programs do, but the 2.5 is a great starting point. There might be a few programs on campus that require a little bit higher GPA than that, but 2.5 is a great starting point for you to think about.

Another thing that I want to point out is the University of Illinois at Springfield does not require GRE or GMAT test scores for Graduate School. If you've taken those and you would like to submit those test scores, you may. But programs are not going to require those out of students and we hope that this makes the process easier for you to apply to Graduate School here at Illinois Springfield.

A couple other things that that I want to point out. It is definitely OK for you to e-mail the program to talk with them about their graduate program.

All of our graduate programs have had webinars this week and those are things that you can access later on. And we will give you a link for that to be able to go on and see what those programs are saying about their specific program and allow you to learn a little bit more if you might have missed that graduate program.

For funding for Graduate School, the best ways to do that are Graduate Public Service Internship Program and our Graduate Assistantship program. There aren't really scholarships when it comes to Graduate School, but we do offer ways to get that degree fully funded for you as a student.

Those things are handled by a different office and not handled by the admissions office. So yes, your application for those funding programs are on your application status page.

But that decision is made in a totally different office, and that office does not do anything with your information until you are admitted to your graduate program. There are deadlines for full considerations for those programs, and they differ based on what you're applying for. But understand that the sooner that you're admitted for fall or spring semesters allows you some different opportunities when it comes for funding.

Another question that we get is, let's say you served in the military or you have ADD 214 or you're active duty. Those students are not required to pay an application fee, but will need to submit a copy of their DD214 or other military documents on their application status page to waive that application fee. We have an office called our Military Connected People office on campus that's run by Lauren Easter.

Definitely somebody I would tell you to get in contact with if you are a student that is using any type of military funding or are a veteran and and want that extra assistance while a student at Illinois Springfield.

Whether you apply for online or on campus Graduate School at Illinois Springfield, the process is the same.

That won't affect anything as you go through the admissions process.

I want to make sure that that's clear as well, because that's another frequently asked question that we get from students when it comes to applying for Graduate School.

Finally, I want you to know that the admissions counselors here at Illinois Springfield are here for you. On your application status page, there will be phone numbers, emails, text numbers, and other information on the right side of the page.

Please utilize that. We don't want you stressing out about things, dealing with your application, or where you're at in the process. If you've got questions, feel free to reach out to your admissions counselor.

The graduate program to ask questions, that's what we're here for. Illinois Springfield is an amazing place to go to school, and one of the biggest strengths are that our professors teach every class and they're in small classes.

Whether it's online or on campus, that means that we want to know you personally. We want to get to know you as a student and as a person, and that starts in the admissions process.

Once you're.

And if you've decided to attend Illinois Springfield, you will still need to go on to your application status page. You've got to 1st view your admission decision and you will get an e-mail that will say Decision release. Click on that e-mail and go to your application status page. Then at that point, once you've viewed your decision, a new checklist item will come up. That checklist item is intent to enroll. Click on that. It does not cost you any money, but that is what allows us as a university.

Your advisor and that graduate program to know that you intend on enrolling for that semester you were admitted to. That will start your registration process, getting a time ticket and then having everything ready for you when registration opens, as well as.

Alerting your Advis.

That you're going to be attending. Those are the biggest and key steps through this admissions process for our graduate students.

I hope that this information will help you as you look at Illinois Springfield and you try to decide if applying and being admitted is is what you want to do. And again, my name is Aaron. I'm one of our admissions counselors and it was great talking with you today. Thank you so much and have a great day.